You could sometimes visit "Santas" who, let's be frank, were really "Santa's helpers" in Ambridge stores like J.C. Penney, Sears, or G.C. Murphy, but the real Santa always came to Ambridge and set up his headquarters right on Merchant Street.

He'd arrive in Ambridge right after Thanksgiving, sometimes during a parade with a number of marching units, sometimes with a more modest escort as he did in 1959 when he was accompanied by the Ambridge High School band.